later in the morning, more calls from teachers, parents, and students. are they in favor of a police presence in schools? >> if there is even when think we can do to reduce the violence, if there is even one life that can be saved, then we have an obligation to try it. i will do my part. host: the president signed 23 executive actions yesterday to implement his proposals on the guns. this morning, we want to hear your views on the president's proposals. we want to hear from gun owners

only. here are the phone numbers. as always you can contact us via social media. here are those addresses. gun owners only this morning for the first segment of "to the washington journal." throughout the morning we will switch up the lines. this is from "the hill." it is about the 23 executive actions the president signed yesterday to implement his proposals on gun-control.

no. 1 issued a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available through the background check system. address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the health insurance portability and accountability act that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system. improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system. direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having again to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks. proposed rulemaking to make law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized the gun. published a letter from the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives to

federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers. launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign. review safety standards for gun locks and gun saves. issue a presidential memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations. we will read more of those as the go through this morning. gun owners only for the first segment. this call is from connecticut. good morning. caller: good morning. how're you doing. i think like all politicians, he is muddying the waters. mr. obama is doing something totally unconstitutional to begin with. that is neither here nor there. the government has gotten so large and so big, they are

involving themselves in everything not important to the average citizen. it is my opinion that what we need to do is to stop all of the stuff the government is getting involved in. the way to do that is through a fair, flat tax. host: we are not really talking about that this morning. we are talking about the gun proposals specifically. what kind of gun do you have? caller: i have more than one because i am a hunter. i enjoy hunting. again, back to what we were saying before. that is about all i want to say about it. i think mr. obama and the congress both do not have a clue about what is going on out here in the real world. host: adalfo, what are your thoughts? caller: when i went to high school there was a police presence at all times.

the sheriffs are the -- in charge of the campus. in regards to the president's comments, i think there are far reaching and might be unconstitutional. i helped john boehner and mitch mcconnell work hard to prevent him -- i hope john boehner and mitch mcconnell work hard to prevent him from doing whatever he wants. he cannot do what ever he wants. i think they should work together. it was a sad thing what happened on the east coast. that does not go to the root of the problem. people should not have guns, let's focus on them, not eliminating certain types of guns or clips. host: is there anything that the president said that you agree with? caller: he cannot use funding to study this because it is part of the constitution.

i think that they should have some kind of universal system to monitor people that are near -- they are not right mentally or should not have guns. they should have a database. how much information they should capture -- these are all problems he should not do in two weeks for one week. he should talk with other people. congress should help as well. host: you mentioned you are an instructor. what is it that you teach? caller: economics and accounting. host: what kind of guns to you on? caller: i have a clock. host: why do you have a glock? caller: for my protection. i teach my nephew how to shoot it. we follow the rules.

this is stuff i want to expose him to. i hope to have the opportunity to tell him about the consequences. host: do you carry it with you at all times? caller: and california, you have to have something in the front of your car in the glove compartment and the bullets' in the trunk. i keep a mostly at my home. host: have you ever had to use it? caller: no, not necessarily, no. host: what kind of background check did you go through to get that? caller: the department of justice. i got it in a few days. it was quite expensive. i might get another one. with the assault weapon, i hope

they do not make them illegal in california. i hope it does not come to that. just in case, i might get one. host: stephen is in leesburg, georgia. you are on "the washington journal." tell us what kind of guns to run right now. caller: several types of firearms. i have been a lifelong collector. in the past and over my lifetime, myself and my family had owned hundreds of firearms. host: what did you think above what the president had to say? caller: in 2000 a barack obama promised "i will not take your rifle, i will not take your shotgun. i will not take your pistol." yesterday he indicated he was willing to bypass the normal legislative process, bypassed congress, signed into law on a

piece of paper with the stroke of a pen as if he was a keen and began an entire -- as if he was 18. -- as if he was a king. that is that the action of the president. that is not the normal democratic process. but the president is doing is unconstitutional and does not address the problem. the main problem that i have with the president that he barely lost over and did not address the obvious mental health issues -- glossed over and did not address the mental- health issues. there were obvious mental health problems with all of the mass killings that have been recently sensationalized in the news and there is hardly any effort to address the issues. host: have you a in the last

couple of months bought an additional firearm because of potential legislation? caller: personally, i have a. i have seen hundreds of other people because of my business -- because they were afraid they were going to take their guns away or because they were afraid of dramatic price increases or difficulty in getting firearms in the future have made purchases or they had not plan to do. host: what kind of business? caller: i run against war. -- i runa gun storel. host: -- i run a gun store. host: the loophole where you do not get the background check.

my understanding from what we have read is that you do back get the background check if you buy a gun at a gun store -- a gun show. caller: not true. no matter where a federal licensed firearms dealer does business, he must comply with all federal, state, and local laws. he makes background checks for every single gun the purchase, every single gun trade, every acquisition and disposition. the lie about the gun show loophole is that individuals are supposed to perform background checks, which is completely not true. if you want to sell a firearm to your friend, as long as you are certain that person is not a convicted felon, there is no law that says you have to perform a background check. can you explain to me how i am supposed to pick up the phone if i am an individual and perform a background check?

host: just to be clear, if he were not a federally licensed gun dealer, if he were just an individual wanting to sell a gun to your neighbor, no background check would be done, correct? caller: absolutely not. if you want to buy a gun for your doctor before she goes to college, the president would require a gun law check. if you want to give a fire on to your son to go hunting, that would require a background check. host: are you opposed to that? caller: i do not understand how it can be implemented without violating the constitution. the government would have to get involved in every firearm transfer that occurs. the only way that can happen is if all firearms are registered. they're not talking about a loophole, they're talking about registering all firearms owners so they can keep up with how

they are transferred into they are sold to. i cannot understand how the federal government is going to implement that. if you can explain it to me, i would like to hear that. host: we appreciate your time this morning. a couple more of the executive actions that the president signed into law yesterday. release a department of justice report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement. nominate an atf director. provide law enforcement first responders and school officials with proper training for active shooters situations. maximize enforcement efforts to prevent and violence and prosecute gun crime. issue a presidential memorandum directing the centers for disease control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence. directed the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective

use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies. those are a few more of the executive actions that the president signed yesterday. adam is in virginia. good morning. caller: i wanted to say, pretty much a contradictory statement. i an not one that calls and and said the last caller was completely ludicrous. he just contradicted himself as a gun owner stating that there are no loopholes within the sales of guns. he just so happen to have a loophole where he had a neighbor who had a daughter going to college, he would sell a weapon to that neighbor without a background check. that is exactly the loophole they are trying to alleviate.

i am a gun owner. i have done two tors and afghanistan. i am not active duty anymore. i have seen the devastation they can cause. i do not think you should on one if you do not know the magnitude and the scope that can come from the mass devastation out of the ends of the barrels. host: listening to the president yesterday, what did you hear the you agree with? caller: i think the background checks has to be something implemented. i also agree that there should be the mental health focus aspect if there is any past history where they had some mental insufficiencies within whatever is going on in their current social arena. there should be some certain things place on the person. they should not be necessarily

implemented right away. labels are given too fast. i definitely think that is a step in the right direction to take into consideration early on. mental health has largely been seen -- i am also a practicing physician. mental health has always been seen as the crackery of medicine. it is -- it does not have such an effect on the body, but it absolutely does. i agree with many of the details specifically outlining the registration of the weapon. there is an old argument here within -- you register your car, you register your house. people know the land you own. why would you got register a

weapon inside your house that can potentially cause massive devastation. i am not against weapons in anyway. i think proper professionals should have access to a weapon. i do not mean civilians, people who have been a in the military, police officers that have had ample training the that is comparable to what is needed to carry the weapons and know what to do in certain situations. host: what kind of training do you get in the military for weapons? caller: tons. your marksmanship is a constant process. it is an overstated qualification that if you do not maintain, you do not convince in many instances. cannot go to the next pay great if you have not shown

proficiency. -- pay grade if you have not shown proficiency. when you talk about -- it is very imperative that you know how to use your weapon. specifically before you ever deployed into a theatre of war, no matter what you do, you are going to be having dod instruction, you will be forced to go through a course in which you learn weapon functionality. safety training. it is extensively trained into muscle memory. host: can you stay on the line for just a minute. i want to get another gun owner on the line to see if they have any comments about your support for some of the president's

proposals. ron from california. were you able to hear adam in virginia expressed some support for the proposals? what do you think about that? caller: the president is up against the wall here in a lot of respects. i am a longtime nra member. that does not demonize me, i hope. there is a definite political atrophy that says if you are a and are a member you do not have two and sells to rub together. the reality is that the president -- two brain cells to rub together. there have been a lot of terrific defense. the solving of this problem -- let me see if i can get this clear for you. this is peter, right? what i was pointing out is that

in california we have a responsibility to make sure that every weapon is transferred. i was a firearms license dealer for 25 years so i know what i am talking about. the result of that is -- you brought up the gun show loophole, which is important. people in other states can go and buy weapons in virginia, but it in the back of their car and take it across to pennsylvania. i was watching c-span earlier this morning. the mayor of philadelphia said they have guns were the criminals are renting guns they have bought in virginia. it is very important which has not been addressed, if you are going to register firearms, it has to be across the board. that means for people who are

police officers, people who are bureaucrats, people who are elected officials -- anyone. you cannot have a two tiered system where half of the people that are just civilians have to abide by the laws and everybody else does not. one of the most important factors that each firearm as the president said is being traced. it has to be done at every level. there is nothing to stop a bad cop -- let's say there is one cop who is bad that can stop a criminal with a stolen gun and give it to a friend, keep it, or trade it. all of these firearms, if they are going to go into the process of tree's ability, then it has to be seamless and transparent.

no. two, the high-capacity magazines that everybody castigates so strongly, let me tell you something. if you live in a bad area, an area where there are gang members that cruise by your neighborhood all of the time, you do not want to be stuck with a single barrel shotgun or a single shot shotgun. you need to have the ability to protect your family and your friends and your neighbors. as a result of that -- began does not shoot people, you shoot people. -- the gun does not shoot people, you shoot people. you are responsible. the people who have made these horrific events in this society starting back in 1994 in california that created the biggest year in california about killing kids in school yards,

all of those people were placed in the situation because of mental or family problems that had nothing whatsoever to do with responsible gun ownership. we appreciate that. anything you want to respond to? caller: i think he had some valid points. depending upon your geographical area and were you are located at, i guess that could be considered a consideration for types of weapons. it is acclimated to where you are. in doing that you would set a double standard and other people would potentially say, if you do it for that you have to do it for me. that is going to become more problematic and will initially hit the political arena and the press will have a field day with it. i think that ultimately people who live a in fear have given up

a sense of liberty is itself. i understand that a lot of people can feel like their rights are being infringed upon, but nobody is taking away their rights to bear a weapon. there are certain types of weapons that have a capacity to wreak havoc beyond. nobody is coming to take away my pistol. i can tell you i am very accurate with my pistol. it is the same weapon i had when i was in country and visit my life. it can save my life just as easily again. host: talk about the commented that caller made about the large capacity magazines. caller: i think large capacity magazines are irrelevant to what you need to get accomplished. if you have a massive amount of people attacking you and you

actually take into consideration the mechanics it takes to get off of those shots because you are using a semi-automatic round, you still ultimately have a high probability of being taken out, even if you have a high capacity round clip within a setting where there is a maximum amount of people that descend upon you at once. is pretty much the tactics they feed you again in the military. that is why they do not the be these massive round clips in the service. they give you these for givem-4 or whatever you are firing. -- they give you these for the m-4 or whatever you are firing. host: we appreciate your time this morning. floyd from virginia, you have been listening to this conversation.

what is your reaction? floyd? one more time for floyd. what do you think about a conversation we are having this morning? caller: i go back to the election when obama first ran for office. he said people in this area of the bible belt likes to clings to their bibles and their guns. he had something against the guns back then. he has always been trying to take our bibles away. he is doing that through forcing companies to provide abortion pills for their workers. he is trying to take their conscious away that way. he is taking away your belief when he does that and hoping -- forcing you to hire homosexuals when you do not believe in that. now he is taking your guns away. he has been at this a while. yesterday i saw him recall his

face of bad saying if we can save one life, it would be worth it. 53 million babies were killed through abortion. he could -- that dr. you were talking to, he knows. they do not care. the democrats and obama do not care there have been 53 million a babies killed in america. host: all right. we are talking about guns this morning. 61,500 collectors, 51,000 retail shops, 7300 pawnshops and other -- 9600. firearms manufactured in the u.s., 5.4 million. 2.2 million of those were pistols. 1.8 million were rifles. 743,000 or shotguns. 68,000 miscellaneous. back to the president's 23

executive actions signed yesterday. here is no. 15. direct the attorney general to issue a report on the availability of the most effective use of new density technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies. clarify that the affordable care act does not prohibit doctors asking their patience about patiencein their homes. release a letter to health-care providers clarifying no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence in law enforcement authorities. provide incentives for schools to hire skilled resource officers. developed model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher learning. the next call comes i comes in

illinois. give us your thoughts on this conversation. caller: actually, illinois has a really strict gun laws. i do not think that the magazines has nanything to do with the capability with people being shot. people can take a bolt action rifle and do the same damage without missing. if you have thirty round cip or larger, half the shot is going to miss. they are random fired. i think it is more do to the economy. people losing their jobs. they are turning to drugs to make money. crime and violence follows the

drugs. guns do youkind of drug own? caller: some rifles, shotguns, and pistols. host: what do you use them for? caller: mostly hunting and target shooting. host: had you ever used one in self protection? caller: know i have not. they are all in a closet in a safe as we speak right now. host: thank you for calling in in this morning. jodi sends in this tweet -- from "politico" this morning --

you have probably heard about the nra had it they have put out. "washington journal >> are the president's kids more important than yours -- [video clip] >> are the president's kids more important than yours? mr. obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.

he is just another e list hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. protection for their kids, and the gun free zones for hours. host: josh in michigan city, indiana. good morning. caller: i have been listening to some of the calls coming in and have been watching what you were placing on tv. i cannot help but think it is really ridiculous. the president and congress have a fine line to make any change a in this country. they cannot infringe on any of the constitutional rights that we have. that is a good thing. i think the constitution should be amended to deal with the times, but the real problem is not what they're responsible

guns are acquiring guns legally. i think the problem is all of the criminals and people who acquired guns illegally on the street and to of this country are posing the greatest threat for us. every hour of every day there is a shooting that takes place in this country where somebody dies. it is with a firearm that is acquired illegally and are registered. to address that problem, the acquisition of firearms that are not registered, the president has to implement these directives and it changes so delicately as to not infringe on the lobbyists and the constitution.

host: so you agree with the president when it comes to background checks for everybody? caller: absolutely. i think it is not very practical to say that when you go into a pawn shop or a gun dealer to acquire a gun, or even in walmart and most aide to kim by a firearm, you have to go through a background check in the process. -- you can go to many other spots and a buy a firearm, not just a legally out of the trunk of a car but you could make a purchase for a firearm and not have to go through a background check to purchase a firearm that has been registered legitimately. that is the real problem. there are so many steps in place right not to go through a

background check and acquire a firearm legally. you can easily acquire one of illegally. there are not many laws you can put in place to stop this. host: what was the background check like for you? caller: to go through a way to in process. now it happens almost instantaneous. now you can go to a gun dealer in indiana and fill up a publication and get a response back right away. host: how many guns do you own? caller: just one. go into the range and things like that. it kind of scares me to think of people who acquire firearms and take them to school.

you can prevent something from happening if it is going to happen. we have to stop the fire arms from being put in the hands of people that should not have them. host: as a one a gun owner, are you fearful in the last couple of months that perhaps guns will be taken away or you will not be able to buy another one? caller: not really. i am on the other side of the fence when it comes to that issue. with the intensity of law enforcement at the county level and state level and federal level, all of the organizations to protect us, i do not know if it is necessary that everybody have a gun to protect themselves. i would rather see guns -- it would be harder to get a gun and

the guns disappeared to a higher level so that people who should not have a gun did not have a gun rather than everybody that needs a gun supposedly has a gun. that is like dropping a bunch of guns on society to take care and expect them not to be put into the hands of people who should not have them. host: thank you for your time this morning. we had a round table on the president's proposals plan for 8:00 a.m. eastern time this morning with john of the brady center. unfortunately, he is still recovering from the flu and has canceled. we will have jonathan lowy out here at 8:00 a.m.. this is again from "the hill."

release a letter to state health care officials clarifying the scope of mental health services medicaid must cover. finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within the affordable care act exchanges. commit to finalizing mental- health care parity regulations. launch a national dialogue led by kathleen sibelius and arne duncan on mental-health. 23 items the president signed into action yesterday. last evening, posted at the connecticut coast, the president posted an op-ed in this newspaper about his proposals. this is just a little bit about what the president wrote.

this week, the chief of police here in washington, d.c., taped

a interview. she was asked about gun control and proposals. here is a little bit about what she had to say. [video clip] >> i have about 100 officers who are assigned -- they do not stand in schools, we have security to does security for the schools. i have 100 officers who do the feeder schools and elementary schools. i will continue to keep a police officer in the schools. i do not believe that police officers should be stationed at the doors in the schools, but i think they play a role. host: susan in washington, please give us your thoughts. caller: first off, we have an officer sitting out in his car in our high school.

there is very little violence in our high-school appear in washington state. i am from los angeles. i went to hamilton high school. in los angeles, if you are not protecting your family, you are asking for it with these home invasions, robberies. getting back to our government, it is pretty hypocritical for this -- i go with a commercial, absolutely. is ok for him to protect his kids, but it is not for -- it is not ok for us to protect ourselves. until he gets his own house in order, stay out of my house. i have been in the military, i have had guns for 40 years.

i have raised four kids. never had an accident. never had a stolen gun. never had any type of incident whatsoever. if you think a gun clip is going to do anything for you, it is not. a shotgun -- the story on it is 10 feet. anybody in that range is going to be put down a fat is the case. that is not the issue. the issue is that we have a constitution. these are inalienable rights. it does not make us insane or eight separate style of person. we believe in the right to bear arms, our constitution and freedom and we believe in the right to pursue happiness and have it and the friends by anybody that thinks they're

going to stick their not see but on the back of barnett. it is not happening. -- nazi boot on the back of our necks. it is your problem, not ours. we are not giving up our guns because of you. how many children did they kill over in iraq? if you are going to use a weapon to kill a child, how many scapels did they use on the 50 million children they have ordered through abortion? hypocrites, get it together. we are tired of hearing it. host: one of the proposals is the universal background check and the so-called gun show lupo on gun dealers. what do you think about universal background checks? caller: when i went in for my gun permit, they ask me for a

thumbprint and to fill out a card. within 24 hours i had my permit to conceal -- a carry permit. if you are not a felon and do not have an arrest record of any sort, you are going to get a gun permit. to say that the stalkers have a right to say you are crazy, are you kidding me? they can say anything. i would never allow my child to go into a doctor's office and answer those questions, nor would he have my child a loan without me to answer the question. as a matter of fact, because of the way that the medical insurance is going, i would not even tell him i was a smoker, let alone have a gun in my house. i do not trust anybody in this administration, nor do i trust insurance companies or anything coming down the pipes.

this is all a scam and the american people are not going to put up with it. they are right on the french right now. keep pushing. keep pushing. keep threatening americans. keep tightening up on them. take away their food, their money, their jobs, their freedoms. it is going to blow. if it continues the stress on the american people from this administration, he is going to have an american -- let alone having to worry about an arab spring. the american people are fed up. host: that is susan. this is the small arm research notes out of switzerland about gun ownership across nations in the world. civilian gun ownership in descending order from average

civilian firearms. in the united states to it is estimated 270 million civilian firearms. there is a note at the bottom that says the atf estimates upward over 300 million firearms. that is 89 firearms per 100 residents. yemen comes in second with 55 per 100 residents. switzerland, 46 firearms per 100 residents. as you go down the list here you can see germany, there is an estimate of 25 million firearms in private hands. toward the bottom here, a couple of other large figures. china and india, even though it is only five and four firearms

per 100 residents, 40 million firearms in china, 46 million in the country of india. gm from colorado, what are your thoughts on the -- jim from colorado, what are your thoughts on what the president proposed? caller: i know there was a lot of talk about not only what the president said but also the democratic party when they were talking. the 30 run magazines and things like that, they are not really necessary. right now you buy stock handguns and you get a 15 around a magazine. that i believe is sufficient. people who shoot firearms for several years, you know no matter how much training you have, the first few rounds are going to miss. when the adrenaline kicks in you

lose a lot of your fine motor skills. if you only have a couple of rounds, you will be out in the bad guys will not. one other thing nobody has been discussing is, law abiding citizens, we register our weapons. go through the background checks. the only thing this and any proposals will do is keep the law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. the criminals will still get their weapons. there is nothing that the government can do no matter what kind of measures they take. they will not prevent criminals from getting their firearms. host: why do you own guns? caller: i own several guns. i own guns for hunting, home protection and for sporting. i have hunting rifles, shotguns, handguns and assault rifle. host: do you agree with the

background check for gun purchases? caller: almost definitely i do. there was a caller that said it earlier. if you are a law-abiding citizen, there will not be a problem. they run your criminal record. they see if you are ok. if you are not okay, they will not sell the the gun. the thing is, you get a guy who has just got out of prison for killing somebody, he has a good -- a grudge, do you think he will go through a background check to get a gun? no. he will a legally get a gun and take care of his business. it does not matter if you have a universal background check, the only people that will apply to are the law abiding citizens. the criminals, not at all. you have to figure most of the people who do the mass shootings are most people

killing kids on streets, they are not law-abiding citizens. you have gang bangers. this is one of the things they take into consideration. they do not tell you gang violence. that is where a lot of the violence is coming from. it is not a law-abiding citizen decades gun for his own protection or support shooting or hunting, it is the criminal element going out and killing people. i do agree to a certain extent with the mental health in. i need to define what they're going to consider health -- a mental-health probe. if a person is depressed for a week because they have something going on in their home, are you going to disband them for life from having a firearm? host: thank you for your time this morning. "the washington post"has a chart

on the gun proposal. they take up the items he has proposed and whether or not they can do it via executive action within the administration or whether congress is needed. we have picked up the ones where congress is needed. when it comes to background checks, requiring universal background checks for fire arms sales, congress is necessary. military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, congress is needed to reinstate and strengthen ban on assault weapons, women and the net is a -- limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds. congress is needed to create serious penalties for gun trafficking. to act on the administration's $4 billion proposal to keep 15,000 police officers on the street. congressional action is needed

to confirm a director of the atf and eliminate restrictions that forced the atf to implement importation of certain firearms because of age. and to provide $40 million to help train 14,000 police officers and others to respond to shootings. more congressional action is needed when it comes to school safety. give $150 billion to school districts and law-enforcement agencies to hire school resource officers, school psychologists and social workers. provide $30 million and onetime state grants to help school districts and develop emergency management plans. provide $50 million to help 8000 schools to train teachers and staff to create safer environments. when it comes to mental health, more money, provided $55 million for new initiative to make sure students get mental treatment.

$25 million for state base strategies supporting individuals age 16-25 with mental health or substance abuse issues. another $25 million to offer students mental-health services for trauma or anxiety. $50 million to train 5000 additional mental health professionals serving children and young adults. those are the items the washington post as identified that congressional action would be necessary. as we go throughout the morning, a lot of editorials from this morning's papers. we were reports of those as well. we take your calls and get your thoughts, jeff is a gun owner from missouri. thank you for holding. go ahead. caller: the sun is just coming up here, and it has been up for you a little bit. i wanted to address the. a lot of people -- the point a lot of people forget.

the second amendment was put into place to protect people from being observed by a corrupt government. if we do not have some capacity equal to the military, then we do not stand a chance at all. the supreme court has ruled recently in the last two years that the second amendment does provide for an individual right to carry, own, and possess. the washington bureaucracy seems to think their own supreme court has ruled for individual liberty and has been ruled so by the supreme court. also, we do not address the fact that a lot of the terrific shootings -- horrific shootings. i was appalled, but they are occurring in places where concealed carry is banned. these people know they have

nobody on the grounds that can confront them and slow them down and or stop them until the bigger guns can get there. i do not know if that is the answer, but you look at the statistics and these shootings are all in places where concealed carry is bay and the. they have no opposition and they know it. -- is banned and they know it. a lot of these shootings, the guns were not legally possessed by the shooters. regulating us who are honest law-abiding citizens will not stop people from getting a gun that have a zero and tensions. they will find a way. the bad guys always find a way to get a weapon. host: do you see any need, any approach for further gun control? caller: i think they need to

enforce what is already in place. the chief of police at sandy hook said that further legislation was not going to change those types of shootings. he was right on the national television and stated that. i think that is true. if a guy wants to commit that may him, he will find a way whether he steals it, bison on the black market or what ever and he will commit a shooting like that. in the case -- my comment about the concealed carry, if there had been 11 concealed carry on the premises, he could have saved lives or at least made the gentleman focus on something other than the children. host: are you a conceal the carrier? caller: yes.

host: why? caller: it is my right until the state. i would rather have that opportunity given a violent circumstance. host: have you ever had reason to pull your gun out? caller: i am retired law enforcement, and i have had my gun drawn on duty. i also have military background and consider myself a rather highly trained in firearms. host: i do not know if he saw the little piece of video was shot with cathy linear talking about the guns in the district and schools and potection. a lot of the police chiefs have come out in support of the

president's initiatives. what do you think? caller:number one, d.c. is victoriously anti-gun as is new york. i think if you talk to the rank and file officers, most of them are pro-gun. the thing to law-enforcement person does not like is surprise. there are ways for a concealed carry member to safely announced to an officer if you are having contact with law enforcement that you are armed to put him at ease and know you are a good guy. i do not know that any of those are answers. i think we have to enforce what we have on the books. i do not think high-capacity

mags -- a magazine change takes one second or two. you can change 10 as fast as you can change 30 round magazines. that is not the answer. the answer is -- i do not know. society has gotten none between the violent video games, which is a whole other issue on its own. you push reset and your hero comes back to life a deeply again. we have become numb to violence. horor movies on television -- we become numb. we do not have good parenting in this country. it is hard to live on a single income. we have latchkey children that do not have the guidance. i am not exactly sure what the answer is, but i know taking away our constitutional rights is not the answer.

to protect ourselves in the world and the government's going corrupt, this one looks like it is. host: that is jeff and the missouri. caller: howdy. host: please go ahead. caller: i am concerned. if they try to take away anybody's gun -- [indiscernible] the criminals are still going to have them. if there are civilians and armed, what will keep the government from taking over countries? we felt background checks. we legally owne.

the government is trying to make as criminals. we haven't done anything wrong. the government needs to be worried about the gangs. the criminals got guns. -- them away from us taking over the whole country either. host: thomas in texas. what you think about the proposal? cost proposa's caller: good morning. i have a 1911 colt, winchester

3030, and the savage 22. i'm not an obama fan by any means. it doesn't have anything to do with the gun policy. i don't like kelly presents his politics -- i don't like how he presents his politics. what he proposes has to go through congress. he wrote executive orders. i am ok with enforcing laws that already exist. that is one reason why we have these problems. if people get denied on a background check, they are supposed to get in trouble for that.

it could potentially prevent that person from being able to obtain a weapon. as far as funding, i think that is a great idea. that will play in favor of the second amendment. 19,000 suicides. 11,000 from homicides. less than 400 of those 11,000 have anything to do with rifles. i do not know why they want to take away assault rifles. i think there is a lack of information about firearms. people need to shoot more to be trained.

i know a lot of people are terrified by guns but have never touched one. there was a speech to congress. there were x amount of shootings going on. two were accidental shootings. i do not know anyone, but with that firearm that has accidently shot themselves. you have to know what you're doing. as far as the proposed legislation of background checks, i believe it is is a great idea to expand on that. everybody should have to go through a background check but not through a federal system. of not afraid the state

texas would use me obtaining a weapon to see if i'm tracking one. i do not want them knowing my address and what firearm i possess. a lot of places do not require you to register guns. the jews in nazi germany. i did not agree with that on the federal level. host: that was thomas in calvert, texas. coming up, jon lowy of the bracy dy center. larry pratt will not be participating today. i'm sure he will be on at a later date.

[video clip] >> why did you write a book about your experience? >> there have been other accounts of the crisis that i thought were not completely accurate. i thought it was important to present our perspective. for people to understand there were a different policy options and disagreements. if we want to prevent another crisis, i felt the public needed

to engage more on financial reform and make it an issue with their elected officials. i have some policy recommendations that i know people will look at. >> sheila bair on the government's role turn the country's worst financial crisis since the recession, send tonight at 8:00 p.m. -- sunday night at 8:00 p.m. >> the greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker. this honor now beckons america the chance to help lead the world at last out of the valley of turmoil and onto that high ground of peace that man has dreamed of since the dawn of civilization. >> we must embark on a bold, new program, while making the benefits of our scientific

advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of underdeveloped areas. >> this weekend on american history tv, public radio's back story with the american history guide. peter onuf, ed ayers, and brian balogh explore the history and traditions of presidential inaugurations, live saturday morning at 11:00 eastern, part of three days of american history tv, right through inauguration day, on c- span3. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us now is jon lowy from the brady center legal action. this morning we have been talking with gun owners. what do you think of the proposals the president made yesterday? guest: i think they can make great strides in reducing gun

violence in america. they are compatible with the second amendment. restrictions to keep guns out of the hands of the bad guys and it will reduce crime. host: how will these proposals keep guns out of the hands of the bad guys? guest: universal background checks. at least 40% of gun sales take place by private sellers without any background checks. that is a gaping hole that allows a felon's and domestic violence abusers to get guns easily. host: what about the emphasis on

mental health? guest: i think that is important. the president said we need to look at this problem and to provide a better mental health services. it should not be easier to get a gun than adequate mental health treatment. we want a comprehensive solution. these are all sensible steps along the way. host: some gun owners have said the limit on magazine size will not be effective. closing the loophole is a bureaucratic nightmare. if you had your druthers, would to outlaw gun sales at the brady center? guest: absolutely not.

we think there are a sensible things we can do which respect the second amendment. preventing gun violence and we should have an honest discussion about the risks of guns in the homes so people can make an informed decision. the second amendment has been construed by the supreme court to protect the right. military-style assault weapons have no place in civilian hands. law enforcement would be the first to tell you that. that does not affect hunting rifles. it presents -- prevents these mass killers from mowing

down a lot of people in a short time. they are functional aspects of the gun which are only useful to engage in mass assault on people, killing a large number of people in a short amount of time. host: what role should the states play? mindaller said he doesn't registering with texas but that the federal government has any business knowing what kind of gun he has. guest: the federal government has the major role. guns are easy to transport from one state to another. if one state has a strong gun law, it is easy for people to

get guns in states that have weak gun laws and traffic them. that's what we have seen. we need strong federal measures. 74% of nra members support universal background checks. host: you deal with the nra are regularly? guest: we are open to have a dialogue with anyone . the nra is less open with having a dialogue with us. they eventually met with the task force. there are members of the nra reaching out to us and we are

reaching out to them. those people are law-abiding, responsible gun owners that want safe communities, safe schools. the nra does not speak for gun .embers or its ow host: do you have an opinion about increasing the number of armed school guards? guest: that is a distraction. it is proposed to avoid the dialogue about whether we should have background checks and whether civilians should be able to buy ak-37's. that is ready conversation should be focused on and that is

where the american people are. host: todd in michigan is first up. please go ahead with your question or comment. todd? i'm not hearing anything. guest: not hearing todd. y, good morning.morningy caller: good morning. i watched the president. i think the nra should hire a federal marshal to go around these gun ranges and have the people that own the gun ranges have these weapons behind lock and key. if they want to go when and

rent one, they can do that. if there were behind lock and key, that would be a good thing. they have the right to go when shoot.d just go to the firing range and have the nra behind the locked key.s and guest: i think it is interesting. if you ask people who owned assault weapons why they have these weapons, they will tell you shooting stuff, the targets, cans. i believe that most gun owners

are willing to give up their hobby of plinnking. maybe plink with a different gun. host: we have a tweet from still an individual. guest: we will never know. the ban on high capacity magazines could have stopped it. without the firepower, the shooter could not have committed the havoc that he did and may not have initiated it. people do not start them unless they are armed to the teeth. host: does the brady center have an opinion on concealed carry? guest: we think there should be

sensible restrictions on concealed carry and law enforcement has a role. california and new york have sensible laws, as opposed to florida where george silberman killed trayvon martin -- george zimmerman killed trayvon martin. i think we have to be careful in looking at concealed carry holders as a panacea. tucson is the best example that killed a handful and almost killed gabby giffords. there was an man with a concealed weapon at tucson and he almost shot one of the heroes that stopped the

shooter. there was a gun on the scene. host: how did you get involved in this issue? guest: i always had a passion for gun violence. it is such a vast social problem in this country. 100,000 people are shot every year in this country. each victim has other victims that are affected as well. you have millions and millions each year. .'m very encouraged i have never been more encouraged than the past few weeks or the country has this dedicated appetite, demand for some sensible solutions. host: jon lowy is a graduate of

harvard. glenn is our next caller. good morning. caller: good morning. is the universal background check basically put the onus of law enforcement on private citizens? host: what do you mean by that? caller: there has to be a background check. guest: it would just apply the same rules that govern yourselves if you go to gun sales for private sales. this has been the law in california and it works very well. you can arrange the transaction and then go to your local gun

store and perform the background checks. it does not put you in a position of law enforcement. it gets you into the gun store. it is well worth it if it prevents dentures people from getting guns -- if it prevents dangers people from getting guns. the brady law requires background checks from license sellers and has stopped over two million dangerous people from buying guns. host: mike in north carolina. caller: good morning. how are you? host: good.

caller: i listened to obama yesterday. some of what he said it was sensible. as far as the other things, i disagree with a lot. i am an up-and-coming gunsmith. i'm getting ready to go through the atv stuff now. a lot of the laws that are governed under the atv, a lot of this stuff is covered. instead of the president using his time to try and stop taking guns away from people who have them, that time and money should be spent in the fighting the black market and the people who buy them illegally instead of spending time to do the other.

that is my feeling. guest: the president did propose more serious penalties for gun trafficking. that is the point you refer to and i think that is important. requiring universal background checks will not take guns away from anyone. ill stop felons from buying guns -- it will stop felons from buying guns. 95% of the general population supports universal background checks. that will fully respect the second amendment rights and it will reduce crime. host: lead editorial this

morning in "the wall street journal." guest: that is not accurate. the features of that assault weapon are functional, not cosmetic. if you have a semi automatic rifle that can take a detachable magazine and have a pistol grip, that is an assault rifle. that is not cosmetic. it is used to fire from the hip

where you're not eyeing your target. that is meant to spray fire. they can fire almost as quickly. can empty in magazine in about five seconds using a semiautomatic assault weapon. the federal bill that lapsed in 2004 did not prevent crime. it prevented the use of assault weapons in crime. after it lapsed, we saw a spike in high-capacity magazines used in crime. it was effective and will be more effective where you have the grandfathered stock of guns

leaving circulation. host: good morning, kasha. caller: good morning. i did not own guns. i'm in school for criminal- justice. the guns that kill people are illegally obtained. it is not the right of people to carry a gun. that is what we have to stop. until -- the people that have the guns, they want to do better background checks. that is fine. .t was his mother's gun he got his mother is gone.

what about the background check on the person that is going to college? the man in colorado was in college. it is the mental health with people obtaining these guns that are not being careful. we have to do something about that. you cannot be met that the government is stepping in. we are not keeping our guns say that we're purchasing legally. host: thank you. guest: you discussed a lot of important points. gun owner responsibility.

that was one of the executive orders the president proposed yesterday. a campaign to promote responsibility and safety among gun owners. we think that is very important at the brady center. we're involved in public education campaigns to educate people about the risks of guns and educate clinicians' about what they should know and to educate the public about what they can do to prevent gun crimes before they happen. there are a lot of sensible proposals that we can do to get at all aspects of this complex problem. host: this tweet from bill

badey. is there a definition for that? guest: i think he means a gun show sell. that is not going to be relevant for the current debate. we have gone past that. people talked about closing the gun show loophole. the problem with that is that it is still left open internet sales and sales in the parking lot of those shows. we have gone past that. it will not be of little significance if we can require background checks on all gun sales. it will close the classified ad

loopholes and all gun sales under one place. it is similar if we sold controlled substances where you would say the law requires you to get a prescription from a doctor and go to a pharmacy to buy drugs except when you do not want to do that. you can go to somebody on the street and buy a prescription no questions asked. that would be crazy. that is what the president and most americans want to stop. host: gary tweets in. the constitutional part. the president brought it up

yesterday. the gun owners bring it up as well. guest: the second amendment has been clarified recently by the supreme court in a couple of decisions in 2008 were the court washington, d.c.'she did, d. ban. there is a second amendment rights, which was upheld by supreme court. justice scalia listed a number of lost as examples that our constitutional. background checks and the proposals are clearly constitutional. host: jon lowy is the project

director with the brady center. don from georgia. caller: i grew up in a society where -- rural community. it was not uncommon that we brought our guns on the school buses to go trap shooting and skeet shooting. society has changed a lot. i went in the service and grant one of the largest -- i was conscious. my admonitions license. i am the father of five children. i owon multiple hunting guns --

i own multiple hunting guns. i have never owned a pistol. the thing i see lacking is responsible training in gun ownership. i have a mentally ill son that i took care of for a number of years and have learned quite a bit about the mental health profession. i had to ensure the safety of my firearms having me mentally ill child in my home. if we look at the specifics of gs.se mass shooting guns don't kill people. people kill people.

you have a mother that was acquiring assault weapons, my automatic pistols with it mentally ill child within her home. it was her responsibility to ensure that those of firearms were secured. even admitting she did not trust her son to be alone with other individuals. it is not the gun that was the problem. it was a failure to recognize mental health issues and the stigma that if you are mentally ill, you're almost bullied. if you are mentally ill, to sign it looks down at these people -- society looks down at these

people. guest: thank you for your service to this country. it sounds like you are a responsible gun owner. most gun owners are responsible and take the danger of firearms very seriously. when you have a few that are not so careful, it can lead to great tragedy. that is why part of the solution to this problem has to be public education. we are very involved in. dunst may not kill people but people with guns kill people. it is easy for dangerous people to get guns. that leads to the gun deaths

that we see in this country. most of the 100,000 are not shot in these mass shootings. measures like universal background checks will prevent a number of the shootings. host: good morning. caller: i just what to touch on a couple of things. i am a gun owner, very responsible with the guns that i have. i use my gun for hunting purposes, not just plinking. you hunt withuld to ha an ar? caller: i do hunt deer with it.

host: how large are the magazines? caller: i have a 20-round clip. host: thank you, sir. caller: they want to take that weapon from me. host: are you opposed to that? caller: i do not think that will solve your problem with the mass shootings. as far as the number of the deaths from gun violence, how many of them are from an ar? compared to pistols and shotguns? host: comments for that viewer? guest: these guns like ar-15 do

enable many of these mass killings. the sound like somebody who is responsible. there is no question that at newtown, columbine, r aurora, colorado, high-capacity magazines often paired with assault weapons enabled many, many people to be shot in a short amount of time. i think most gun owners would agree if they are responsible, they can do without those kinds. shift to any number of rifles, handguns which you could hunt with to prevent the problem with

the mass shootings. .ost: we have a tweet guest: that would simply make sure that the person buying the gun is not a convicted felon or convicted domestic violence abuser. that seems like a small price to pay for a society to get government involved. 74% of nra members agree it that background checks should be the law in america. host: bobby in alabama. caller: good morning. host: hi. caller: i like to ask if .22 r

high-capacity magazines -- i have five grandchildren. we go out and we do plink. we have targets. you get five grandkids and 1 grandpa, it gets wearing an old man's fingers. are they going to ban those, too? i also hunt with an ar. they will kill a deer. there are a few other things i would like to say. i don't think the average guy

that still works can afford the prices they are raising on these guns now after the scare that the present has put into everybody. that is all you hear at work. i guess it is everywhere. is this a ploy to raise the guns up? $3,000 ar. buy a buy3,00 my uncle was it policemen all his life. i went to vietnam. you talk about teaching how to shoot a gun and the dangers of mishandling a weapon.

it is frightening. as a child, it was frightening to me. i showed my children what a gun will do with a full gallon of water. i brought them earmuffs. they had to wear them if they shoot guns. you are not going to touch these guns. they are locked up 24/7. there was an incident with a gun. i agree with what the man said, the host of the show said on the earlier show about hunters in the u.s.

700 million anguns. i saw something on a website. what country with 2 million soldiers would want to come into this country knowing we have hunters with 700 million weapons at their disposal? host: thank you for calling in. guest: nobody is talking about taking your guns away. we're talking about requiring background checks or preventing the sales of assault weapons moving forward. nobody is taking your guns away.

if you're hunting and there is confusion about the terms, my guess is you are not using a pistol grip and your grandkids are not using a pistol grip. i think the offensive features that defined assault weapons would not be useful for hunting. you may not have them with the guns we are talking about. if you do have them, you could get a similar gun without these features and you can continue to hunt. host: this is from "the wall street journal." many similar articles in the paper. i'm sure you heard what harry reid has said. guest: i think they are wrong.

we have never seen this kind of enthusiasm on capitol hill. i think it reflects public demands for some sensible solutions, particularly after sandy hook. it will be difficult for a politician it to stand up to their constituents and explain why they fought for the right of felons to be able to buy a gun no questions asked. they fought for the right of 30- and 50-round ammunition magazines to be on the streets. the vast amount of americans reject that.

times have changed. there is tremendous momentum. host: what percentage of families have firearms? guest: it has been declining for some time. the numbers have been a minority , thin the 30's and 40's depending if you count gun owners or households. we do not have precise information. a minority of the population. host: which states are doing the best when it comes to your point of view? guest: california has probably been the best. new york as of a few days ago

with the package of important measures has moved up on a par with california. in those states, they require background checks for all gun sales. they have sensible restrictions on who can carry concealed guns in public. law enforcement is involved. that can be different depend on the jurisdiction. there are another restrictions that prevent gun trafficking. host: roger on the republican line. caller: good morning. agenda.got an

it is obvious. he will ask catholics to undergo abortions and birth control. he has attacked a first amendment right. you are telling me he does not intend to take anybody's firearms? within four years, you'll see the fall of the obama nation. i have never seen in more arrogant president. host: did you want to respond? guest: the president has been clear about what he wants to do and it does not involve confiscation. we have a supreme court in this country.

the supreme court held there is a second amendment right to have a gun in the home for self- defense. whenever your fears are about what congress could do, that second amendment governs. that should put your fears at rest. host: "mother jones" magazine had some ads for guns. this is one for a bushmaster. should there be restrictions on ads for firearms? guest: i think they should be accurate. that may be over the top. some ads we think are problematic are ones that talked

about guns being your responsibility as a parent and promising it provides more security for your home without informing people of the great risks of bringing guns into the home. people should have an informed decision. guns should be treated like other consumer products that pose a risk and may have benefits and risks. we need to list the restrictions that prevent us from getting full information about the best way to prevent gun violence. host: what about liability for gun manufacturers? guest: there was a law passed

in 2005 at the behest of the gun lobby which restricted liability in some ways. its scope is contested in the courts. it provides negligent gun companies to get off the hook. if they were negligent with any other product, they could be held liable. victims of gun violence are victims of negligent conduct. legislation is being introduced which would undo the damage from this law and would essentially say gun companies will not be discriminated against or help to an unduly high standard.

if they create a defective product, they should be held liable. i hope that will be passed by the congress. host: there were 5.4 million firearms manufactured in the united states, 2.2 million of those were pistols. last call for our guest comes from mike in arkansas. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i am 61 years old and a disabled vietnam veteran. i suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. i have it winchester that i hunt

deer with. i haven't old-style single action pistol -- i have an old style single-action pistol. i turned to anger very quickly. people with severe post traumatic stress -- host: we do give up your weapons voluntarily -- would you give up your weapons voluntarily? caller: yes, sir, i would. host: you still on them? caller: i have wondered about this. the second thing i wanted to

know -- the obvious ignorance of people that they do not know what the second amendment even says. the second amendment -- i wish you would read it. it is short. it was set up for a regulated militia. you have to live by those rules. ask the people at waco how that worked out for them. stand by. we have weapons you did not believe anin. [indiscernible]

for heaven sakes, people, wake up. read the second amendment. most people have not read it. host: that was mike in arkansas. guest: thank you for your service. i hope you consider the proper thing to do with your guns. he seemed insightful about the correct decision for you and i hope you follow through. -- you seeem insightful. the second amendment recognizes we have other rights as well. we have rights to live safety

and to peaceably assemble. there is it balanced weekend strike that allows for sensible public safety laws. the supreme court has made that clear. that is the sensible reforms att we will en dund up with the end of the day. host: we have been talking with jon lowy from the brady center. thank you. we will continue talking about gun control. we want to hear your views on the mental health aspects of the president cost proposal. -- of the president's proposal.

we want to focus the thoughts on the mental health issues. 202 is the area code. 202-585-3880 for democrats. 202-585-3881 for republicans. 202-585-3882 for independents. facebook.com/cspan. twitter.com/cspanwj. you can send us an e-mail at journal@c-span.org. we have a fourth line set aside for mental health professionals. we want to get your thoughts on this as well. 202-585-3883 is the number for

you to call and on. we'll continue this conversation after this news update from c- span radio. >> defense secretary leon panetta is defending the gun control legislation today. secretary panetta said steps can be taken to protect kids in school without undermining the second amendment. michael bloomberg speaking earlier says a new nra web video that labels president obama and in the is a hypocrite is dump pr. the narrator asks why president obama is skeptical about putting armed security guards in schools when his kids are protected by armed guards.

the head of the national rifle association says his organization has no problem with tighter background checks. too much emphasis is being placed on banning certain firearms in response to last month's elementary school massacre in connecticut. more attention should be paid to fixing the country's mental health system. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. [video clip] >> he had been talking about this dream he had. he had talked about it for years, the american dream and that it had become his dream and he had been in detroit just a few months before and he had talked about "i have a dream" and that america will someday realize these principles in the declaration of independence. so i think he was just inspired by that moment.

>> on sunday, clayborne carson recalls his journey as a civil rights activist participating in the 1963 march on washington to prominent historian and editor of martin luther king jr.'s papers. it's part of three days of book tv this weekend. monday, featuring authors and books on the inauguration, president obama, and martin luther king, host: design o'clock a.m. your washington, d.c.. we have and are left to take your calls and continue our discussion -- an hour left to take your calls and continue our discussion. we want to talk about the mental health aspect the president has proposed when it comes to gun control, gun violence. the numbers are on the screen, /political affiliation. you can start dialing in now. we set up our fourth line this

morning for mental health professionals. 202-585-3883. we want to hear your experience, your thoughts on this issue. a reminder you can also contact us via social media. we will put up that slate so you can see the different addresses available. the twitter, facebook, an e- mail. this is the president's proposal but he came out -- that he came out yesterday. that #the white house is using for tweets as well, now is the time. it is maybe 20 pages long. it is kind of an executive summary type thing. we went through and we picked out all of the items were money was specifically mentioned.

very quickly want to run some of those money items. this is to improve incentives for states to share information. it is written that the department of justice will 2013201320 million in a figh -- -- the president is calling for congress to act on the proposal to help keep 15,000 cops on the street in cities and towns across the nation.

put up to 1000 new counselors and school researchers on the job.

we want to hear from you on the mental health aspect. we're going to begin with a call from chris in springfield, missouri. democrats line. caller: good morning. i can say i've had a level experience. i've had a gun shoved in my face. -- a little experience. i've had a gun shop in my face. i wonder if the real fact is if someone is going to think they're actually going to shoot somebody, if it is a mental health problem. somebody to murder somebody has to be crazy to even think that.

part of the other reason is, i agree with your previous caller. maybe it is time we compare it to the regulations instead of worrying about taking our rights away. we should think about it from the aspect of an automobile. you have to have a license to drive, a licensed to own an automobile. you have to take a test. when of stop signs during have speed limits. we have been regulated driving cars for problems over 60 years. -- probably over 60 years. if we take it from the attitude of protection of society, and everybody understands it is more than a right thing, it is protecting the community and those involved -- if you want to raise a car, you go to a racetrack. if you want to shoot a gun like that, you go to a range. to have to have it regulated.

-- you have to have a regulated. host: why did you have a gun shoved in your face? caller: i came home from work, and a neighbor -- i saw this kid stick his head out the window, and i thought it was unusual because the guys next door, they were doctors, they were 30 years old. i thought something was unusual. a walk of the front door and i saw this kid walking down the street. i noticed he was carrying something. i approached and said, what are you doing. he said, nothing. i said, where did you get that done? it was wrapped in casing. he said, i got from the old man two doors down. i said, i know that gentleman. i said, let's go and talk to him. we were starting to approaches

house. the next thing i know, the kid stops and he starts to run. i chased him. i started chasing him and he threw the gun down, but he reached in his pocket, pulled out a 38 and pointed straight at me. i said, watch out. i said, okay. he said, get on the ground. i got on the ground and he stood over me with a gun. he said, i do not want to should you. i said, do not do anything stupid. my wife was watching. she called the police. said, the cops are under way, just go. -- on their way, just go. he said, i don't want to go to prison. i said, then don't. get out of here. when the police showed up, they said, we're going on break and cannot do anything about it.

they knew who he was and everything like this. i have also owned four cars and i've had confrontations -- bars and i've had confrontations. i can shoot. i groped with guns. i am not against the right to bear arms -- i grew up with guns. i am not against the right to bear arms. i have also taken self-defense courses. it is interesting that my teacher once said, you might think you can stop things, but you cannot stop a bullet. i know lots of people who own guns. it is a matter of self-defense. host: have you seen instances where the use of the alcohol and firearms can be dangerous -- caller: 0, yes. -- oh, yes.

have had a gentleman walked into my bar with a gun strapped to his leg and said, you cannot wear that in here. the set, i know. he gave me the gun and i put it behind the bar. -- he said, i know. he gave me the gun and i put it behind the bar. i was worried about somebody getting drunk and a fight breaking out. they said, it is my right. i said, great. take it. and we call the cops and they showed up and said, was a big gun? i said, yeah, it was a big gun. what did you mean to do? i have been in those situations and i have had rifles shoved in my face. host: thanks for your time this morning. calling from harrisburg, in a mental healthylvania,

nurse. caller: good morning. i think this is a really good discussion. i am very concerned about the mental health aspect of this whole thing. it seems like we're getting lost in talking about pistol grips, whatever. what concerns me is that most of these mass shootings, what you have when you look into it is cboe but even try to get help, some parents tried to get help -- it, even try to get help, some parents try to get help -- we have a problem with access to mental health care. especially those people who may pose risk. if we all remember the man who tortured and killed the girl, his parents tried to get help

for him. they could not. a lot of this goes back to the 1980's, when we looked at writes for the mentally ill. i believed people should have rights to refuse treatment under certain circumstances. if you suffer from an l.s. -- illness, like a paranoid schizophrenia -- most of the elderly do not pose a hazard. but certain illnesses do. you cannot make these people take their medication. and we shut down all the institutions creek and put people out into the street -- and put people out into the street. the further they get from their medication, they're not going to come in and seek that care. so you have problems. you also have problems -- the school shooting in new town is terrible, but i like to know what went on in at home.

-- at that home. proposing this ban, that band, and all i see is that mental illnesses and care for the mentally ill seems to be getting short shrift. universal background checks, i will tell you, i am a gun owner. i am a shooter. i own modern firearms. i do believe in universal but run checks. when you're talking about mental illness, they're pretty vague about that. what happens when you have got someone who is taking care of depression, which many millions of people suffer from. are you going to ban someone's ability to own a firearm on the basis of them suffering from depression, and what information

is is the mental health professional going to be more responsible for giving? host: did you hear the caller from arkansas who was worried tsd?t himself and his own p caller: yes, i did. he definitely is someone -- he is concerned about his firearms. i sure hope he has discussion about his family and it would encourage -- with his family and it would encourage him to not have the firearms and the home. -- in the home. a help the families with mentally ill people in the home get into this -- i hope the families with mentally ill people in the home get into this. children who have disturbances

in their preteen years with abuses from a former husband, i kept those firearms in my home because i had no dependents and locked up until those kids grow up and are now out of the home. i think everyone has the personal responsibility to look into their own families. and to see what is going on. i would like to know about the new town shooter. -- newtown shooter. there and things in the news about his mother took him out of school, but we're not hearing about why, and why didn't the people ask any questions? where was the family and this? -- in this? a tweet, there are many forms of mental illness.

on our republican line, good morning. caller: the morning. i think you hit the nail on the head when you start looking at these mental health issues. i am a gun owner. i was always trained that guns are never pointed at anybody. we live in a society where people have gangs and should one another with guns. -- shoot one another with guns. they are still desensitizing these people from the fact is sticking point guns a people. i never pointed a gun at anybody -- that they can point guns at people.

i never pointed a gun at anybody. we take these children and allow them to be free on these games, and to see the blood splattered. they get desensitized to the fact of holding a gun, when you take a person that has been desensitized, it takes away any reservation to take violence out on someone in their anger. this guy, he had a mom that took him out. he got mad at somebody for one reason or another. at the end of the day, you always got somebody doing

something to make you mad, and you cannot respond with violence. i am sorry i did not get to hear the president's speech yesterday. i work the night shift. i listen to you guys every day. this situation with the gun violence is very close to home for me. even though i am 60, i still got out and hunt. i still shoot a deer. host: the full presentation by the president yesterday, you can certainly watch at c-span.org any time you would like. louisville, kentucky, calling on our mental health professional line. what kind of work do you do? caller: mental health

facilities. each level of the patients have had different mental health issues. i have been waiting for this issue to come up. i have worked with people that have multiple personalities. we have been knocked down on floors. we have been scared to death. these people have tremendous anger and them. -- in them. i do not think they get proper care they need. after a while, they are released. that is something i am concerned with. it is not about who is able to get a gun, have begun. that is not the issue right there. the issue is that we have to start dealing with people with mental health issues. i have worked in the vietnam

hospital. i have worked with people with the gst. -- ptsd. i will give you an example. a man had tenders now is. no one could stop him. -- a man had 10 personalities. no one could stop him. host: was the gun owner? -- was he a gun owner? caller: not in that facility. i am sure he was out, he could be perfectly normal. it was one of his personalities. we need to address this issue and forget about who has won, and i do sports shooting, and

did to the bottom of this. fix the mental health issues in the familyies -- get to the bottom of this. fix the mental health issues in the families. mike in ohio, independent line. -- host: mike in ohio, independent line. caller: i agree with the second caller. a man in his right mind, he never resort to his weapon. in ohio, we have a castle wall. we have small communities here. you have to drive 20 miles or more to get to a town. we have to protect ourselves

because the law, it takes some 40 minutes to get to your house. that is why we should deal with those mental cases the we do not enough to worry -- so we do not about themrry abou worry coming in our house. like the one gentleman was saying, we have got kids here, they have no mercy for them. that is what the games have done to them. host: we will leave your comments there. back to the president's plan. if you want to read this for yourself, you can go to whitehouse.gov. some of the many aspects on the

mental health issues.

this is the report issued by the

president and the vice president, his team that put together n"now is the time." hashtag, "now is the time" on twitter. "politico" poll, new gun laws will not stop violence. americans and not think a new wave of gun laws will prevent future mass shootings. next call is then in ohio, -- dan in ohio, democrats line. caller: all these people who are paranoid about the government coming to take their guns, they

probably could use a psychological evaluation. if the government wants to take your guns, they can take your guns. your assault weapon is not going to stop them from doing that. i have heard everyone talk about regulating and background checks on handguns. but what about background checks on ammunition? that would definitely cut back on criminals being able to get their hands on what they need to kill with. host: grace tweets in, the mental health issue must be handled very carefully. councilor and nurse should be on every public school site. not guns. joseph asks, should ptsd prevent possession of firearms? caller: rick on our republican line. calle--

host: rick on our republican line. caller: i am a gun owner. i am also treated for depression. host: why a former nra member? caller: the day after the presidential election, cote was contacted by the nra. if you know anything about an they contact you quite often, asking for money. while i still support the nra's position on defending some of our rights, i also saw them as one of the largest and more powerful lobbies. the tactic could not defeat president obama -- the fact that

they could not defeat president obama, i thought, i am not going to support their financial effort anymore. host: you mention that your a gun owner, and you have been treated for depression. caller: i am treated for depression. i have not read the president's entire proposal verbatim. i want to caution the government to really take a look at this for people -- it as a man, it was very difficult for me to ever go to a health-care professional to address my depression. i knew for years that i was depressed, but i always thought that was something that i could man up, power through. that is just not the case. my doctor actually told me, it

is a physical thing, a chemical thing. you almost have to look at it as somebody who has cancer. i cannot equate that it zucker he same,, -- exactly teh same but you cannot hope away cancer. you have to deal with it. my point is, depending on how far we look at these mental health aspects of having a gun and being gun owner, who might caution is, let's not go so far to make a person like myself not want to get treated or stop being treated because of the fear of not being able to have begun. i do not hunt. -- a gun.

i do not hunt. the last thing i want to do is use a gun on a human being. i have guns for self-defense. i like to sport should. -- shoot. if i ever had to use a gun on self-defense, that would be a heavy, heavy burden on me. it is not something i can even say how i would react. host: prior to getting treated, do you think you were ever in danger having a gun? caller: to myself? host: no, sir. i am not suicidal. i have not been suicidal. i will reiterate but i did not look to hurt anybody want to -- that i did not look to hurt look to hurt

anybody. when i heard about sandy hook, my heart was broken. tragic, and're all it hurts me. a hate to see people do that to each other. i have never seen myself as a danger to myself or others. my doctor said the same thing. i am forthcoming, i am honest. that is it. host: we appreciate your story and your time very much. chris in virginia will be our last call on mental health and the violence. chris, if you could hang on one second, we're going to switch the lines. we will keep chris on the air. for this last half hour, it will

want to hear about the issue of police presence in schools. are you in favor of that? the nra has called for armed guards at schools. we want to know what you think about the police presence, increased police or security presence. we have divided our lines differently. 202-585-3882 for teachers. chris, what are your thoughts about mental health and gun violence?

caller: i am currently being treated as being depressed. it concerns me the way the government is working and the way that obama has set up these executive orders. would mental-ons' health fall under to ensure safer than policies, but it would be harder to register for a weapon? -- that it would be harder to register for a weapon? read all of it, all of the 23 executive orders, but as

a citizen, i do want to be able to partake in the right to freedoms that we are offered. host: are you currently a gun owner? caller: i am pursuing a firearm, yes. host: affected your being treated for depression, does that come up in any -- the fact you're being treated for depression, does that come up in any checks? it does worry me that if i was being treated, i would be stopped from being a gun owner. i am not suicidal. nor am i homicidal. to be treated as being depressed and and being looked at as if you could be a harder,

i think that iharm, i think thas lunacy. people have different issues that could be dangerous to others, but i myself, since the shooting of newton -- anytime you have a shooting like that, it is a tragedy. it is not necessarily the weapon's fault behind the shooting or the incident. it is mostly the people and their emotional problems. my concern is, being a citizen

and establishing myself as a gun owner and establishing myself as soon to be a member of the nra. host: you said you were pursuing gun ownership. has the fact york treatment for depression, -- your treatment for depression, has that played into background checks? caller: it has not yet. i believe it will be brought up. as of what i know right now, i do not believe it will be. but if it does get brought up, i will be okay with it just for the fact that i do think background checks are necessary to keep law abiding citizens, the weapons in their hands, and criminals, the background checks to keep the guns and weapons out

of the criminals' hands. host: thank you for your time this morning. a little less than 25 minutes left. we want to turn to the issue of police presence at schools, and whether or not you support that increased effort. we have divided the lines for this last segment by student, parent, schoolteachers, school officials. we're going to begin with a student, justin, in new york. where do you go to school? caller: i am a college student. cuny community college street. liberal arts, criminal justice. host: what security do you have on campus right now?

caller: a police officer. auburn police officer. auburn belize go there, it will have one or 2 cups -- cops go there, they wil have one ol havo twor two cops there all day. host: what do think about increasing the security presence? caller: i am against a police state. any first thing the government does is always a first step. how much longer before the government starts to have police officers and frisking kids just because? host: have you witnessed that? has that happened? caller: not yet.

but why is it that the teachers can have guncan't have guns? host: your studying criminal- justice? callerwhich means you want to bw enforcement officer? host: something along those lines. i want to be in house of representatives. host: new laws have passed in new york. andrew cuomo signed those, making the laws more strict. there are some mental health aspects to those laws. do you believe in concealed carry? caller: absolutely. host: are you allowed to do that as a student in new york? caller: we're allowed to conceal

kerry, we cannot bring our guns into the school. i only have a shotgun. thanks for your time. michael is apparent in norfolk, virginia. -- a parent in norfolk, virginia. caller: i am the parent of a 6- year-old here. it is tough all the way around. i do not think it would make too much difference. as far as being a parent, it would probably make the parents a little more secure as far as when they bring the children to school. seeing that the incident happened a couple weeks ago, it does make people to agree. -- jittery. the key to all this is a

responsibility. we as parents have to start. it starts with us. even though we have individuals that want to pass the book and blame other individuals, it starts with the parents. we have to sit down with children and let them know, make them feel safe first and foremost, and then go about explaining to them, this is a firearm. unfortunately, a lot of people these days, you have to go straight down the line with them and explain to them what their responsibility is. if that needs to be done, it starts with the parent. host: are you a firearm owner? caller: i am not. i have family members to do. -- who do. i have seen over the years the

repercussions and the things that happened with the responsible people and firearms. -- irresponsible people and firearms. what i do have control over is that i can explain to my son, things happen in life. there is nothing good about what happened a couple weeks ago. however, we are the freest nation on the face of this earth. if we do not be responsible and explain to our children, the people around us, things like this will happen. host: how much of what happened at sandy hook filtered down to your 6-year-old? caller: the day i picked him up --if you're not a parent even if you're nota parent,

if you want to pick your child, you always have in the back of your mind. it makes you think, what could happen? who could be thinking about doing things like this? it made me go on with the rest of my day. however, i did think about the repercussions of what happened. it is a very, very tough issue all the way around. it is responsibility. we all have to be responsible. host: michael and norfolk, virginia. barbara is a retired teacher and washington. washington. caller: i am still in education and visit a lot of schools with contracts carrie.

we going to the schools and have not been there before. when i see a security officer or a police officer and run the school, i feel very comforted. -- around the school, i feel very comfortable. i would like to see that in all schools. i only see that in a handful. host: why are those schools? caller: it is mostly the upper grades, earned urban schools. rban schools. host: what would you think of a teacher or principal carry concealed? caller: i would never consider carrying a gun myself. if people were going to do that, it should be people who of trained like former police officers or former military who are now teaching in the school

or in some other capacity. i would never consider doing it myself. i am terrified of them. having the police officers around would definitely boost students respect for police officers and the law. maybe they hear the messages at home. they certainly hear that in the media -- other messages at home. it is certainly hear that in the media. -- they certainly hear that in the media. host: joshua is a student. where do you go to school? what are you studying? caller: i go to community college at shoreline. i am studying to become an engineer. my thoughts of have and protection in the schools is,

with people that are carrying firearms in our schools to have intense training, making sure they go through intense backgrounds themselves? the people that are around them are students and children. there is a lot of responsibility. it is definitely important to the people that are carrying firearms amongst the school also have to be aware of, but firearms are still out on this side of their heads. people walk by them. a lot of training has got to be involved. host: what kind of security presence is there at shoreline community college? caller: throughout the day, they

do have security guards that drive throughout the school. i have not seen any of them with an actual fire arm. i think they carry mace or something like that. stay trouble throughout the school and outskirts. -- they travel throughout the school and the outskirts. host: san antonio, texas, on our line for parents. caller: thank you for c-span. it seems like if there was a trained guard at sandy hook, this would not have happened at all. host: as a parent, you would feel better about having more security? caller: yes.

my son is about 30 years old, but it would make me feel better. it seems like some insane person who wants to get into the school will not be able to get in there if there's a trained guard a the door. every case of these shootings has been announcing individual. , it seems like a good plan to me. host: a teacher in california. caller: riverside counted. -- county. host: what kind of school do you teach at now? caller: of an elementary school. an elementary school, i think it would be better to have a community life isn'liaison.

in my experience, i am trying to get help for children. i am finding that metical is not servicing people -- medical is not servicing children with mental illness. they do not make appointments for them, or send them to an appointment 30 miles away that they cannot keep. they give people the runaround and they're not getting the help they need. a big metal held at the elementary age is very necessary. -- mental health at the elementary age is very necessary. we have procedures on practice drills on a schedule. i feel very secure. my school is very well run. i can understand people of the high school or middle school not

feeling secure. -- at a high school or middle school not feeling secure. host: after sandy hook, it did it go through your mind, if i had been carrying, or if the principle had been caring -- carrying -- caller: i feel very secure. host: ethan and oklahoma, and our line for students carried -- in oklahoma, on our line for students. caller: i believe that policeman presence at schools should not happen. a teacher should be able to own or carry his own weapon after an extensive background.

he should be able to be in training for more than four hours in firearm handling. host: the me ask you a couple quick questions. -- let me ask you a couple quick questions. where do you go to school? caller: i am home schooled. i am 15 years old. why i am home schooled as not to be protected. -- is not to be protected. it is because i am taking college courses right now. host: do you have any activities at the school at this point?

caller: and have had my fair share of public school. i was taken out by my parents because i scored off the charts for my spatial reasoning. from fourth grade, i have been in steady uprising of what i am able to do. right now, a friend i knew from preschool, one year behind me, he is a freshman at high-school and i am doing higher math and what he was doing -- than what he was doing at his high school. host: congratulations. you would support a concealed carry for teachers or principals

or some school officials? caller: yes. as long as they have an extensive background. if the have any sort of depression, aggressive behaviors, any sort of a tendency to violence, i would not like them to have begun. -- have a gun. if the have any hostility towards students, i would not want them to have begun. -- a gun. i believe we should have a couple of guards, but not armed guards. having a bunch of armed policeman makes you feel like you're in a prison. host: ethan, thank you for your time. good luck with your studies. think you for watching

"washington journal." north carolina, and for parents. -- on our line for parents. caller: the day after we had the sandy hook shooting, the school that my daughter attends had an actual bomb threat. to the point that paris were going out there to make sure the other kids were okay -- parents were going other to make sure their kids were okay. i think if you take the teachers and give them the training that these police officers and these first responders have, a very much field we should have

someone in our schools -- i very much feel that we should have someone in our schools that we can turn to. host: how old is your daughter? caller: 17. host: is there a police presence at all right now if she goes to high school? caller: there is a deputy sheriff on campus your school. he has been there throughout hurt? -- throughout her -- she has attended the same school through her 11th and 12th years. perez been a police presence. -- there has been a police presence. she is always calling me and saying, we're out on the football field because we have a bomb threat and they're

evacuating the school. if we do have some type of presence in the classrooms, if these people have some kind of training to be able to have a concealed weapon in their school, i think we would share a whole lot better -- fare a whole lot better. these kids are our future. i want to go back to where the guy said he was not a gun owner, but he was trying to get a gun, but he has -- host: he said he had been treated for depression. caller: i am thinking, if you have a person who is having depression problems, and we do not know what kind of problems he is actually having. if anybody has any kind of problem, they should not be a gun owner.

some of these people think the president is is trying to strip them of their guns. it kind of makes you think, if their kids had been in that school, would they be feeling the same thing today? i do not think so. host: i think we're going to leave your comments there. carolyn in texas, retired teacher. you'll probably be the last call. caller: this thing has been talked to death. we hear the san paranoid answers from everybody. -- same paranoid answers from everybody. the government is going to take our guns. our situation is not the same as new york. i did teach in an urban, gang

infested school record. -- school. we had armed security guards. host: didn't make a difference? -- did it make a difference? caller: oh, yes. we didn't have any shootings. of course it made a difference. i want to talk about the culture of texas. my hunting family is a very responsible, great family. they would not think of shooting a deer, a wild hog with an assault weapon. what happened to the old school honor of funding? any hunter that takes an assault weapon to an animal, that is just wrong. i believe in reasonable

regulation. texas does not give a hoot about mental care. they just withdrew all support. it did not give a hoot about education. -- they do not give a hoot about education. in dallas the backs of the budget on our schoolchildren -- they balance the budget on the backs of our school children. there are hundreds of hunting accidents in texas every year. people did have a record of that have a record of being drunk, trigger happy -- anybody who thinks they need an assault rifle to hunt --

host: were their x-ray detectors at the doors of your high school? caller: i did retire in 2001. san antonio does employ some of those now. and 1990's, we had a really bad gang situation on the southeast side of town. we put most of those people in jail. that was 25 years ago. their art of jail now. -- they're out of jail now. host: we're going to have to make this the last word. we appreciate everybody participating in this morning's conversation. on our facebook page, facebook d.com/cspan -- what we did not have a chance to get to a lot of the comments on our facebook page.

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